The Mountains That Brought Us Together
by ImaginationFlows
Summary: With the Allegiance suffocating under the firm hold of enemy forces, Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase hold the fate of the entire city on their joined shoulders. And with only four others among themselves, the group of unplanned acquaintances find themselves in the middle of a life-threatening series of decisions.
1. Chapter 1

Perseus's eyes scanned the Hero's Call Board.

"Jackson…. Jackson…." He mumbled, looking for his last name.

His lips formed a small smile when he finally found it.

 _Hero's Call: Redridge Mountains – Jackson, Chase, Grace (2), Valdez, McLean – Report to Lake Shire – May 20th._

Finally, after seven years of training with the Stormwind Branch of the Alliance army, Perseus would get some action. He knew not of what he would be doing in the Redridge Mountains but had heard rumors of what had happened.

Drudgers had invaded months ago, last August to be exact, and had rampaged the entire area, taking over the area around the lookout tower at the Elwynn Forest and Redridge Mountains border. The drudgers took over The Three Corners, Redridge Canyons, Render's Camp, Lakeridge Highway, Stonewatch, the Tower of Ilgalar and Keeshan's Post. The orcs worked with the Knolls to invade and take over Render's Valley and Alther's Mill. The only areas untouched by the creatures of the Horde were Lake Shire, a small town in the center of Redridge, right on the lake's shore, and Shalewind Canyon, a small hill between the Tower of Ilgalar and Render's Valley, where the knights that went to help had to set up camp. The camp was closely guarded as it was surrounded by enemies, but their supplies were running out and they wouldn't be able to last much longer. The general in charge there was doing the best he could, but he had called for help. His men were starving, thirsty and fearful of crossing enemy territory but knew it was the only way to get to the food and water they so desperately needed. Few were expected to survive due to the lack of victuals and the cornering of the Orcs and Drudgers. The far corner of Redridge was scarcely close to no longer being Alliance territory.

 _I guess they weren't rumors after all._ Perseus thought to himself as he took one last look at the names next to his before beginning his trip back to the Stormwind Embassy.

May 20th. Two days from now and Perseus would be in Redridge with the other people whose names had been written on the board. They would be completing many quests and possibly facing many enemies. He had no clue what he would be facing, but he did know that he would be ready for anything that comes his way.

 _Or… almost anything._ He thought when he got back to the barracks to find a letter from the Princess of Stormwind City resting on his pillow. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Ooo! Someone's caught the princess's eyes!" Jordan Myers cooed from behind him. Perseus rolled his eyes and picked the envelope up. Curly lines made up his name on the back of the envelope in fancy cursive, recognizable as the princess's handwriting.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Perseus asked, looking up from the envelope to glare at Jordan.

,  
"Only to go pick up my new sword from Stoutarm."

"Well, you better get going. He's known for giving away swords when they aren't picked up on time."

Jordan rolled his eyes. "See you later, Perseus." He said and with a wave of his, he turned on his heel. Perseus waited for the sound of Jordan's footsteps to fade down the stairs before sitting on his bed and opening the envelope. He carefully pulled the letter out.

 _Dear, Perseus Jackson,_

 _I have recently received word that I would be sent off to Redridge Mountains with you and four others. By order of his highness, the king, we are to report Bailiff Conacher in the Lakeshire Town Hall._

 _As we will be leaving two days from now, I would like to meet with you and the others tomorrow so that we may all have the same knowledge when we arrive at Lakeshire the following afternoon. A similar letter to the one you are reading has been sent to the other members of our party._

 _I would like for us to meet at the Pig and Whistle Tavern tomorrow for dinner at two._

 _I thank you in advance for your time and hope all is well for you._

 _Sincerely,  
Annabeth Chase_

Perseus read the letter before falling back on his bed, his head landing on the comforting cushion of his pillow.

He would be meeting the princess and the greatest warrior the city ever knew. Perseus would be meeting the Annabeth Chase, and he couldn't believe it. The fact he even got a letter from her was surprising enough. Perseus closed his eyes, letting the letter rest on his chest as thoughts of the journey and adventures that lay ahead of him danced in his mind like ballerinas. One grabs the attention of the audience by leaping before another takes the attention back to them with a turn and so on. More ballerinas appeared in his mind. More turns and leaps were done. More ballerinas of thought appeared in his mind, dancing gracefully. Promises of adventure spun in with them, lulling him off to sleep as the sun set over the buildings of the city, leaving the sky littered with stars.


	2. Chapter 2

Perseus stepped into the Pig and Whistle Tavern and closed his eyes as the sweet scent of cooked pork and steak invaded his nose. The lively, upbeat music danced into his ears along with the buzz of conversation from the other citizens who sat in the tavern, enjoying the food, drinks, and company.

"Ms. Langston! Could I get another Bottle of Dalaran Noir?" Someone called, breaking Perseus out of his thoughts. He turned his head and focused his eyes on the person who made the request. He watched as the barmaid approached the table and picked up the empty mug before turning to go refill it. One of the boys sitting father down the table quietly stopped her and Perseus could just barely hear him say, "Just get him some Refreshing Spring Water. He won't notice the difference." The barmaid offered the man a small smile before nodding and walking off toward the bar.

Perseus's eyes scanned the long table in the center of the room. Five people sat at the table, three girls and two boys. Recognizing one of the girls as none other than Princess Annabeth Chase, he approached the group. He opened his mouth to ask for confirmation that this was the group he'd be working within Redridge. However, he was cut off by the princess's voice.

"Perseus, how nice of you to join us." The conversation around the table died as the others looked up from their drinks and the maps that were laid out on the hard wooden surface.

"I apologize, your highness," Perseus bowed his head slightly in the princess's direction.

"Just Annabeth is fine, thank you. Have a seat, please." Annabeth gestured to the chair on her left, the only empty seat. Annabeth sat at the head of the table, her back to the bar so she was facing the table and the tavern door. To her right, was a girl with dark black hair and strikingly blue eyes. They seemed to spark with electricity and Perseus noticed how the girl was clad in leather. _Must be a hunter,_ he thought. To the left of her, a tall man with blond hair was scribbling something on a piece of parchment. When he glanced up, Perseus noticed his eyes were the same blue as the hunter.

"Thalia and Jason Grace," Annabeth told Percy as she ran her finger over a map in front of her. "Hunter and warrior. You are a warrior, yes?" She glanced up at Perseus, her finger momentarily stopping its trace of a road on the map.

Perseus nodded in response, hooked on the princess's gray eyes that seemed to be searching him for any weaknesses. Annabeth nodded and continued tracing the map, making marks on it with her quill every now and then.

"At the end of the table is Piper. She's a mage, specializing in arcane magic." Annabeth didn't look up from the map as she spoke but Perseus looked down the table at Piper. Parts of her hair were braided and there were feathers tied in with the braids. The feathers matched the robe she was wearing. He noticed her robe was more intricate than the majority of the ones he saw around the city. _A high ranked mage. She'll be helpful when it comes to damaging the enemy._

"And to your left is Leo. He's a—" Annabeth was cut off by Leo.

"'Sup, man? I'm Leo, your every friendly paladin, engineer, and cook!" Leo smiled at Perseus with a bit of a crazed look in his eyes.

 _It's a good thing Jason told the barmaid to bring him some water._ Perseus thought to himself before noticing the point on the tips of Leo's ears. _Elven blood…_

It wasn't out of the ordinary for a night-elf and human to mix though it wasn't the most common thing either.

 _Though if he is part elf, he could be extremely useful._

Perseus was broken out of his thoughts several minutes later when Annabeth spoke. "We'll meet at the gates of Stormwind tomorrow morning at nine. Please be on time." She gave Perseus a pointed look. "We'll take this road away from the city—" She pointed at the map and traced her finger along the road again, everyone's eyes following her route. "—and we'll stop here in Goldshire around mid-day to rest a moment and get something to eat. From there, we'll head east toward Redridge Mountains. We'll spend the night in the Eastvale Logging Camp, which is less than an hour away from the border. The following morning, we'll cross the border and make way to Lakeshire. Remember, the Drudgers have taken over the Three Corners and that is where we're entering into Redridge. We'll have to be careful. To get from Eastvale to Lakeshire is typically a two-day journey. We might be able to get it done in three. Are there any questions?" The princess looked around the table at everyone.

Leo ran his finger around the edge of his mug. "Why are we going in through the Three Corners if it's been invaded?"

Annabeth looked at the paladin. "Would you rather make it a two weeks journey and go through Duskwood, Deadwind Pass, and Swamp of Sorrows to get to the Burning Steppes and enter through there?"

Everyone shook their head. Going through Deadwind Pass would practically be a suicide mission and the Burning Steppes was Horde territory.

"Those are the only two entrances. That's why we're going through the Three Corners," Annabeth told Leo. "Any other questions?" She looked around the table again. When no one said anything, she continued. "You all have mounts, yes? Make sure you have a mount and anything you'll need while we're gone. Try to keep your items as limited as possible, though. The less we have, the easier it will be to get past the Drudgers. Sleep well and be prepared for tomorrow. Good evening." The princess rose from her seat and collected her maps, leaving a small pile of gold coins on the table for the barmaid.

The others began to do the same, pushing their mugs toward the center, so they weren't so scattered as everyone got ready to leave. Perseus turned to the blue-eyed siblings once the others had left to go home. "What class is Annabeth?" He asked them, realizing she had never shared hers.

"Rogue, I believe," Jason said as he rolled up his maps. "Judging by her two daggers and that she was clad in leather, typical for rogues." He pushed in his chair.

"And the vile of poison hanging from her belt." Thalia looked at Perseus from across the table. "She probably coats her dagger in it. Once an enemy has the poison running through their veins, it would make it even easier for her to take them down in a fight." She shrugged and grabbed her bow, which had been on the floor next to her seat. She slung it over her shoulder. "Ready to go?" She asked Jason. With a silent nod from him, the siblings left the tavern.

Perseus watched them go before setting his own stack of gold coins down on the table. He pushed his chair in and walked through the door. He took a deep breath of the cool, evening air.

The sun had just set over the horizon and night was beginning to fall. He began his trek through Old Town and the Dwarven District, two of the five main parts of Stormwind. He took his time, letting his thoughts wander as he went back to the barracks.

He spent a while packing that night. Some extra clothes, a sharpening stone, any maps and potions he had. He threw an apple and some bread along with a flask of water in the worn brown bag as well.

Tired from the long day of training and planning, he flopped on his bed, still in his clothes. His bag rested on the foot of the bed next to his sword.

He fell asleep quickly, a certain pair of calculating gray eyes on his mind. With one last thought, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

 _Don't be late._

* * *

 **Wow! Almost two years, I'm so sorry about that.**

 **Here's the second chapter. I know it's short but the story is still getting started. I hope to get started on the next chapter soon but school sucks and I have lots of homework that I haven't started yet.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Quick reminder: Go follow me on Instagram**

 **You can DM me there to remind me to update or ask questions. I also try to post updates there.**

 ***All characters and setting belong to Rick Riordan or the makers of World of Warcraft***


	3. Chapter 3

**3,800 words; longest chapter so far!**

 **Please R &R and I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: All characters and settings belong to Rick Riordan and/or the creators of WoW/Blizzard.**

Perseus was late.

The sun shined through the window, warming his bed and coaxing him to stay asleep. Hs shifted slightly, turning his back to the window so the sun no longer landed on his face but on his back. His foot pushed his sword and bag to the edge of the bed until they fell to the floor, landing with a crash.

Perseus jolted awake from the noise and looked around until his gaze fell on the sword and bag. His eyes widened, remembering he was supposed to meet the others outside the city _this_ morning.

Scrambling to get out of bed, his legs got tangled in the blankets and sheets and he fell to the floor in a heap of wool bedding and crumpled clothes. He cursed himself in his head and untangles his legs from the bedding. He stood up once he was free and grabbed a clean shirt. He paused halfway through changing when he heard the clock from the clock tower that sat in the center of the city ring loudly, it's sound carrying over the buildings and in through Perseus's window. He froze, counting the chimes.

 _7… 8… 9-_

He was supposed to be at the gate by now.

For a moment, fear flashed through his chest as he remembered the princess's warning.

He hurriedly finished changing and practically flew down the steps and out of the barracks. He got his horse from the stables and galloped through the cobblestone streets, careful of other citizens, and not slowing down until he reached the city gates.

"Perseus," The blonde princess said from atop her white stallion. "You're late. Again." Perseus pulled back on the reins, halting his horse's movements.

He inclined his head in Annabeth's direction though she was looking down at the map in her hands, not sparing him a glance.

"Don't fret too much. We're still waiting for Leo." It was evident to Perseus that she wanted to get going. He didn't blame her. The sooner they left, the less time they would spend riding at night, and although Elwyn Forest was relatively safe with Stormwind guards patrolling the roads, towns, and borders, there were still wolves out. They were the most dangerous at night. Even some of the most skilled warriors couldn't fight them off alone.

Perseus glanced at the mage and other warrior, Piper and Jason, if he remembered correctly.

"Have you chosen your professions yet?" The blonde man asked.

"I have." The mage smiled at him, her eyes seeming to change colors like her magic would when used. "I chose tailoring and enchanting. My robes, for example, were made and enchanted by me. I know different colors are supposed to symbolize different aspects and rank but I've always thought that white and violet would like nice in a robe. And since I made this one, I was able to enchant it at the same time…"

Perseus stopped listening as she talked about resistances, protection, and the like.

His eyes wandered back to Annabeth and she looked up, gray meeting sea-green.

"Yes?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as the wind picked up and pushed the strands of blonde curls out of her face. Perseus noticed how even with her hair in a ponytail, something more common among the merchants and farmers, she looked regal and elegant.

Annabeth must've noticed him staring, she was looking at him after all, for she cleared her throat, pulling Perseus out of his thoughts. "Yes, Perseus?" She prompted again.

"Um – the ride to Goldshire is about three to four hours, right?"

The princess nodded and looked down at her map again. "As long as we don't run into trouble and we don't need any stops before we reach the town. Those shouldn't be problems though. Bandits are my biggest concern but they wouldn't attack with all the patrols in the area."

At that moment, Leo decided to join their party, riding some sort of mechanical ostrich-looking thing. The metal pieces clanked as the robot bird carried him to the gate.

"Sorry I'm late," Leo said, though his smile suggested that he really didn't think it was a problem. "My mechanostrider wasn't starting up this morning and I had to fix him real quick."

"It won't break down during our trip, will it?" Annabeth asked, folding her map and carefully tucking it in the pocket of her saddlebag.

Leo shook his head. "No, ma'am! It's as good as new!"

"Hm." Annabeth hummed, not quite believing him. "It's a bit noisy though, don't you think?" She glanced from Leo's smiling face to the mechanical ostrich then back to his face.

"Annabeth's right," Perseus spoke. "The metal clanking will be too loud and cause unwanted attention."

"Especially when we cross into Redridge." Annabeth nodded. "We'll get you a new mount in Goldshire." She turned her horse so it faced away from the city and toward the forest. "But no time to worry about that now. We need to get a move on. I don't want any run-ins with wolves."

She led the way into the forest, following the wide dirt and stone road. The others fell in line behind her, Perseus directly behind Annabeth, Jason and Piper behind him, and Thalia and Leo bringing up the back.

As they continued down the road, conversations started up again. Perseus could hear Jason and Piper talking about enchantments and other similar topics. He could also hear Leo flirting with Thalia and her sarcastic remarks in response to him.

An hour into the ride, Perseus brought his horse forward so he rode on Annabeth's left.

"I really am sorry for being late this morning," He stated somewhat guiltily.

Annabeth shook her head slightly. "It's alright, Perseus. No one can be perfect all the time. I'm sure you have your reasons for being late."

"Uh, yeah" He chuckled a bit. "Fell out of bed and got tangled in sheets."

Annabeth let out a small laugh. "What a good start to your morning."

"The most amazing start you could possibly have," Perseus laughed.

Annabeth rolled her eyes but a small smile stayed on her face, making her seem much more friendly in Perseus's eyes.

"Civilization!" Leo announced happily as the group approached the small town of Goldshire, though calling it a _town_ could be considered a stretch. Really it was only two buildings, Lion's Pride Inn and a forge so others like Perseus and the group could repair or get new armor and weapons if they needed to while out questing.

"We've only been away from the city for a few hours, Leo." Piper looked over her shoulder at him. "It's not like we've been in the middle of nowhere for months."

"How do you know it hasn't been months? Maybe someone stopped time!"

"No one has the power to stop time." Piper shook her head and turned so she faced forward again.

"Actually, there's that one guy… in Dalaran, right, Thalia?" Jason asked.

"Something like that, I don't know. Isn't he imprisoned though?" Thalia met her brother's eyes when he looked back at her.

"Does it really matter right now?" Perseus said from the front where he still rode with Annabeth. "I mean sure, it's probably important to make sure he's locked up and can't just stop time whenever he wants. But I would think that our main concern is getting to Lakeshire without dying and then freeing Redridge from the drudgers' claws."

"Perseus is right. Let's stay focused on our assignment. No need to bring in other worries and concerns. I think we have enough of those right now," Annabeth said.

Silence hung over the group for the next few minutes as they entered Goldshire.

Annabeth broke the silence as the group stopped between the two buildings and dismounted. "Jason, could you take Leo to speak to Erma outside the inn? She should have a horse Leo can use for the rest of our journey."

Leo frowned, "I have to part with my mechanostrider?!"

"Yes," Annabeth said before turning to Jason. "We'll be in the inn," She said before turning to speak to the entire group. "We're only stopping for dinner and then continuing on. This stop should be no more than an hour. Understand?"

After the others nodded, they all tied their mounts up on the post outside the inn, except for Leo who took his mechanostrider with him and Jason.

The remaining people, Perseus, Annabeth, Piper, and Thalia went inside and found a table large enough for the whole group to sit at. They sat in the same places they had sat in when they had met at the Pig and Whistle Tavern the previous day.

Perseus turned to Annabeth after they had ordered some drinks and plates of apples, cheese, and bread for all of them to share. "If we won't make it to Lakeshire before dark but we'll be in Redridge, are we going to set up camp? I thought that would be too dangerous," He said.

Annabeth nodded. "I had thought of that too, but I think we'll have to. In the event that we run into drudgers, we all need to be rested and actually able to fight them off. If we're all staying awake for 48 hours or more, none of us will have the energy needed to win against them." She unfolded the map of Redridge that she had put on the table when they sat down. She turned it so Perseus could see. "We'll follow this road and I think camp here at the crossroads. That'll put us past The Three Corners, but not yet on the Lakeridge Highway."

Perseus cut her off. "Most of the drudgers camp on the highway, right?"

"They do, which is why I want to avoid it as much we can. The following morning, we'll take the road to the west and follow it to Lakeshire, hopefully, we can get there without any problems, though it's more than likely we'll have some sort of inconvenience."

Perseus nodded. "Okay." He paused to look over the map before letting Annabeth refold it. "We'll make it to Lakeshire. I can't say we'll be unharmed, but we'll all make it," He spoke with certainty.

"I like your optimism," Annabeth said. "Keep it up."

The food and drinks were brought to the table as Leo and Jason joined them. As they ate, Annabeth explained the plan to the rest of the group before they each went back to their own conversations, Piper with Thalia, and Leo with Jason.

Perseus opened his mouth to say something to Annabeth but she spoke before he could. "Can I call you Percy? Perseus seems too formal for you."

He smiled at that. "Oh, yeah. Of course. I think my mother called me that when I was younger."

Annabeth smiled a little and took a sip of her water before grabbing an apple and biting into.

"Can I call you Annie?" He asked jokingly though his joking attitude went away when Annabeth glared at him. "Or not," He said, causing Annabeth to roll her eyes and chuckle quietly.

They reached Eastvale Logging Camp without any troubles that night and the following morning, they set out for Redridge.

When the border was just beginning to come into sight, Annabeth slowed her horse to a stop and turned to face the group. "We're nearly to the border." She pulled a couple of vials out of a pocket of her saddlebag. "These are invisibility potions." She held up one bottle to show them the clear liquid before handing one to each of them.

Percy held his vial in his hand. It was small, measuring a little smaller than half the size of his palm. "This is only enough for one time, isn't it?" He asked.

"It is. I might be able to make more if there are flowers and herbs in the area where we'll be camping, but the border is my biggest concern right now. We need to focus on not being seen." With that, Annabeth turned her horse back around. "Don't drink it until we're closer. The potion only lasts so long. Hopefully long enough to reach the crossroads."

They continued down the road until Annabeth eventually stopped and raised her hand, signaling that it was time to drink the potion. Everyone opened their little glass vials and quickly downed the liquid. Within minutes, they were all invisible, though they could roughly see each other as the air seemed blurrier where each person was.

They silently continued down the road, following each other's blurs.

Percy looked to his left as they passed the watchtower.

 _So those are the Drudgers_ , he thought to himself.

They were nasty creatures, mostly dogs with human-like characteristics. They stood back on their hind legs, making them about Percy's height, though they'd be taller if their backs weren't so hunched. A mohawk of black fur followed the curve of their hunched backs and their muscled arms had clawed paws that held weapons, usually some sort of battle hammer, but sometimes a sword or crossbow. Sharp jagged teeth stuck out of their dog-like mouths and their pointed ears were always perked, waiting for someone to attack.

Percy noticed that they traveled in packs, like the wolves in Elwyn Forest, but they also camped like humans with tents made from scraps of cloth that must've been from previous victims, and fireplaces.

He grimaced when one of them looked in their direction. It sniffed the air for a second before averting its eyes to a nearby bush.

They made it to the crossroads shortly after the sun had set over the mountains. Thankfully, they had no problems with the drudgers. As the party approached the crossroads, the invisibility potion began to wear off. Annabeth's wore off first and as she started to become visible, the air around Piper and Percy began to clear, allowing them to be seen. Leo, Jason, and Thalia soon followed in the small transformation back to their normal selves.

Annabeth made a hand signal to tie their mounts as the fence and post that marked the directions of the crossroads. The group worked in silence, setting out bedrolls, and taking out small pieces of bread to eat. They had no fire, not wanting to attract enemies to their location with the light or the smoke.

Percy wordlessly took up watch.

Sitting on his bedroll, he sharpened his sword's blade and kept an eye out for any approaching enemies.

It was hard to see in the darkness, though the moon added some light to help him see any movements out of the corner of his eye. A cold breeze blew through the silent camp and clouds rolled in, momentarily blocking out the moon and the light that came with it.

Percy set the sharpening stone in his bag and turned to look over his shoulder at the bushes. Squinting into the dark, he found no movement. He looked to his right, down the road that led to Lakeshire, then straight ahead down the road they had traveled on when entering Redridge, to his left toward Lakeridge Highway, and back over his shoulder. He repeated the rotation, on the lookout for drudgers.

He wasn't expecting a different beast.

As he looked over his left shoulder, a hissing sound came from his right.

He froze, placing the sound to its matching body almost immediately.

Slowly turning his head to the right, he came face to face with a Redridge Tarantula. Though it was smaller than most, it would still reach Percy's knees in height and was faster than any other tarantula. Its hairy legs and body were an orange-red shade, allowing it to blend in with the habitat, though it had black stripes on its legs that matched its long talons and eyes.

Percy sat unmoving with wide eyes, slowly tightening his grip on his sword until the beast hissed again. His right arm, which had been crossed in front of him and held his sword, swung around, bringing his blade in a swiping motion that collided with the tarantula's front leg.

The tarantula stepped back and Percy jumped to his feet, quickly moving into his fighting stance, right leg in front of the left, ankles in line, his arms and legs bent at the elbows and knees respectively.

The beast quickly recovered from the warrior's initial hit and struck, lurching forward for a bite at Percy's leg. With quick thinking, he brought his sword down, turning his wrist counterclockwise so the blade swung and hit the tarantula in the side of the head, pushing it to the side so it missed his leg.

Although it now bled from the leg and head, it was still just as fast and ferocious. The spider quickly turned and went behind Percy and again lunged for his leg.

His heart pounding with adrenaline, Percy turned around, his weight on his right leg so his left leg swung around to once again be behind him. Time almost seemed to slow as he lifted his sword up while turning. The spider missed since his leg was no longer there but took a step forward to go for his right shin. But Percy was quicker than the tarantula and brought the blade down hard, cracking the spider in the head with the edge of his blade, splitting its head and killing it.

The warrior took a deep breath and held his fighting stance as he assured himself that the beast was dead. His relief never had the chance to come to him as a thought quickly struck him.

 _Where's its mate? They always travel in pairs._

After scanning his surroundings and not immediately seeing any threat of a second spider, he crouched by Annabeth's bedroll. He shook her shoulder but didn't look at her, constantly surveying the area around their camp.

Annabeth opened her tired grey eyes and blinked a few times to clear her mind of sleep enough to speak. "My turn to take watch?" She asked quietly, her voice just above a whisper but still a little scratchy from sleep.

Percy shook his head. "Redridge Tarantula. I just killed it. No signs of a mate so far but we should move on. We'll be safer on the road."

It took Annabeth a moment for her sleepy mind to fully process his words. Soon, however, she sat up alert and also did a quick survey of the camp and its surroundings. "Stay on watch. I'll wake the others. Pack your things though. Quickly now."

Percy stood and went back to where he had sat while on watch, never taking his eyes off the surrounding area.

The group had silently but quickly packed up and headed down the road. Thankfully, there had been no other sightings of tarantulas. They did pass a few drudger camps, though they were far enough away to avoid being heard or spotted. They had only been able to see the camps because of the light from the fires.

Just as the sun began to rise over the red mountains in the east, casting warm light upon the group's back, they crested a small hill and from the top, could see their destination.

 _Lakeshire._

Percy was relieved to see the red roofs of the buildings, the clock on the tower of the town hall, the little gardens that were on the side of the few houses that belonged to the people who lived there. And the long stone bridge that went across the lake, leading them to food and real beds.

"Beautiful." Piper sighed wistfully.

She was right. The sight was breath-taking. Though the town was small and wasn't a whole lot to look at, it looked stunning in the group's eyes. Though maybe it was only because they knew they wouldn't have to worry about tarantulas in the town.

"Civilization!" Leo jumped and pumped his arm in the air, overjoyed by the idea of a warm fire and bed, and probably a good bottle of Dalaran Noir.

His joy was short-lived when an angry huff came to his left. And it sounded just a little too loud to be human.

Slowly turning his head from the sight of the town, Percy's eyes fixed on the black and orange dragon that stood just off the left side of the road.

He pulled his sword out from its sheath on his back while Annabeth quickly uncorked a vile and poured the liquid on her two daggers. Poison. Hopefully for the dragon and not Leo.

The dragon huffed and opened its mouth, shooting a fireball at Leo, but the short paladin rolled away just in time.

The group sprung into action. Percy and Jason both charged at the dragon while Thalia nocked an arrow and shot at the beast's wings. Annabeth seemed to fade out of sight and appear behind the dragon, stabbing it in the back. Piper shot at it with her magic and Percy had a pretty good feeling that with all of them taking it down, it would be an easy battle with no casualties.

Percy's feeling was wrong. As Thalia shot arrow after arrow at the dragon's wings, eyes, and mouth, its attention shifted from Leo to Jason, who had been stabbing and slicing at the dragon's abdomen and legs. It shot a fireball from its mouth and Jason barely had time to bring his shield up, but he miscalculated the aim of the fireball and it got him in the left shoulder. He dropped his shield at the burning sensation that slowly spread down his arm.

Thalia's precise aim resulted in an arrow in the dragon's eye, pulling its attention from her brother to her. The dragon turned to face the hunter, its tail swinging and smacking Jason in the side so he toppled over in the dirt.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy could see Piper hurry to Jason's side and stand with him as she continued firing spells at the dragon. Annabeth moved to stay behind the dragon and continued stabbing at its back and legs.

The beast did not like that, for it turned to Annabeth and, to Percy's surprise considering the number of holes in the wings of the dragon, flapped its wings and grabbed Annabeth by the shoulders with its sharp talons, and took off flying over the lake.

A string of curses came from Leo as Thalia shot arrow after arrow, eventually hitting the monster on the bottom of its clawed feet, since the bottoms were angled toward them. The dragon screeched and dropped Annabeth, who fell into the big lake.

Percy ran towards the bridge and got almost halfway across before leaping over the side and jumping in after her.

 **Hello, lovelies!**

 **I apologize for the** _ **very**_ **delayed update.**

 **I want to start this note off by thanking you for reading the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. :)**

 **I also hope you all are doing okay with everything that is going on in the world. The whole Coronavirus can be scary, and I hope you all are staying safe.**

 **To those of you that go to protests for the BLM movement, I hope you stay safe as well! Don't forget your water and masks!**

 **Also, happy summer to everyone who has finished school. I just finished my summer class today. Once the final was over, I was in a pretty good mood and decided to finish up this chapter.**

 **This note it getting kind of long so I'll wrap it up here.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it! Please make sure to follow my Instagram for updates. You can also DM me to remind me to finish up a chapter or something since I have a tendency of forgetting, haha!**

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 **Alright, I think that's everything. Have a great rest of your day :)**


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